Do your home work for a job interview

January 9, 2015
, careerguide , Comments Off on Do your home work for a job interview

If you are on the lookout to get a job, there is something that you simply cannot avoid. And that is competition. When you are shortlisted and called to appear for an interview for a job, your thoughts naturally turn to giving a winning performance in it. You need to enter the interview venue with confidence and convey through your knowledge and deportment that you are the best amongst everybody for the job in question. It is your responsibility to sell yourself. If you do not do so, no one else will. However you need not puff up your accomplishments or make fabricated claims, but there is every need to portray the best image of yourself. A job interview is a therefore, a very critical component of your job hunting endeavors. If you want to be an extraordinary candidate, then you need to do extraordinary preparation. In order to set you apart from other candidates, your preparation should include:

Checking out the company: You need to find out maximum information about the organization that you are going to work in. This is not because you can sound intelligent in the interview, but so that you can figure out if it is truly a place that you actually want to work at. Therefore, you need to have detailed knowledge about the company to include any recent happenings pertinent to the industry in general and company issues in particular. You should visit the company website, review the company mission statement and company history; products and services; and management and culture. In addition, you should also know what the post that you have applied for entails, that is, qualitative requirements and special skills being sought. Such knowledge will help you get along well in the interview.

Warming up your responses to likely questions:

All your responses to questions have to be well structured and cogent. The reasons why you are keen to take up the job that you have applied for, how you came to become fascinated by the work that it entails and the manner in which you will make useful contributions to the company are some issues that you should be geared up well to amplify. You should be able to also talk about your fortes and weak-points; and enunciate the position that you want to be in the immediate future. To be able to respond well to such questions, you ought to reframe your experiences to meet company expectations. It is necessary that you swot all your experiences till date, including those gained at school and in extra curricular events so that you can recount your achievements, particularly challenges that you overcame to support your claims. The crux of the matter is to prevent your self from indulging in unrelated conversation.

Getting ready to ask questions to clear your doubts: Most recruiters would prefer to have an interactive conversation during the interview. The interviewers generally ask you for doubts, if any at the end of the interview. Queries can be raised solicitously so that you convey an impression that you are keen to join at the earliest. You can ask about the organizational structure and how you and your role fit into it; the regimen followed; and learning and growth prospects available. Your questions should be integral to how you will discharge your duties in the position that you are being interviewed for In addition to the above, the following aspects also warrant very serious consideration as they all go in making the crucial first impression.

Dress & punctuality: Irrespective of the type of job you have applied for, your dress should speak of your personality and positivity. You should be present at the venue at least fifteen minutes before the stipulated time. In order to not fail on this aspect, you should carry out a dry run and cater for an alternative conveyance schedule.

Attentiveness & self-assuredness: You must pay special attention to listen to questions so that your responses can be good. In case of any point is not understood by you, rather than give vague comments, you must politely ask for a clarification. Your excitement about the job should manifest in your general comportment. While you will be nervous, but let not anxiety override you. Maintaining eye contact, remaining composed and expressing yourself clearly are some ways to demonstrate your confidence. It is essential that you maintain your calm during the interview session. While a candid approach will generally stand you in good stead, you must avoid discussing your personal matters in the interview.

Leaving the venue:

You should not hang around the venue after your interview. When you get up to leave, you must do set with due fervour and make known your intent to join the company at the earliest. You must thank the interviewer or interviewing panel before leaving the interview hall. The end of the interviewing session does not indicate an end of the interviewing process. You must carry out a self-evaluation of your performance; this will help you to discern your prospects of selection. In case, you feel that your performance is not satisfactory, you must make a note of what went wrong so that you can make efforts to improve yourself.

In case your name does not figure in the list of successful candidates, there is nothing wrong in seeking a feedback. While companies are not obliged to let you know the reasons for your rejection, you need not get disheartened if you do not make it in an interview. Like any new skill, practice will make you perfect. Perhaps, if you prepare more, next time you will come out with flying colours.